Memory development
How is the baseline measure taken in the conjugate reinforcement technique?
The ribbon is connected from the infant’s ankle to an empty mobile stand, and spontaneous kicking is measured before the infant learns to make the mobile move.
What is the conjugate reinforcement technique?
It is a nonverbal measure to assess infant memory where a mobile is hung above an infant’s crib, and a ribbon connects the infant’s ankle to the mobile. The infant learns that kicking will make the mobile move.
What has recent research shown about six-month-old infants' memory capabilities?
Six-month-old infants can create an association between two objects even if they have never seen the objects together at the same time and were never reinforced for creating these associations.
Why can't we expect young infants to demonstrate sophisticated memory feats?
Because the regions of the cortex most relevant to working memory and long-term memory are not yet fully developed in young infants.
Describe the study by Kisilevsky et al. (2003) on prenatal voice recognition.
Researchers presented either the mother’s voice or a female stranger’s voice reading the same poem to fetuses. The infants’ heart rates changed more when listening to their mother’s voice compared to the stranger's voice.
How do researchers measure long-term memory using the conjugate reinforcement technique?
After a delay of 1 to 42 days, researchers hang the mobile above the infant’s crib with the ribbon connected to the empty stand. They measure if the infant recalls the kicking response to activate the mobile.
What age group finds the conjugate reinforcement technique particularly appealing?
Infants between two to six months old find this technique appealing.
What were the methodological problems early researchers faced when assessing infants' memory?
Early researchers underestimated infants' memory capacities due to inadequate research methods.
What was the initial belief of psychologists about infants' memory capabilities several decades ago?
Psychologists believed that infants as young as four months old could not remember anything for more than a brief period.
What does the acquisition phase involve in the conjugate reinforcement technique?
The ribbon is connected from the infant’s ankle to the mobile stand, and the infant is allowed nine minutes to discover that their kicks can activate the mobile.
What method did Rovee-Collier devise for older infants (six to 18 months old) to assess memory?
Older infants learn to press a lever to make a miniature train move along a circular track.
What does Figure 13.2 on the textbook illustrate about infant memory retention?
It shows that six-month-olds can recall how to move a mobile and a train after a two-week delay, demonstrating steady, linear improvement in long-term retention during the first 18 months of life.
At what age can infants distinguish their mother from a stranger according to visual recognition research?
Three-day-old infants can distinguish their mother from a stranger.
How does context affect infants' memory, according to Rovee-Collier's research?
Infants' delayed recall is stronger when tested in the same familiar environment as the learning context. Without the proper environmental context, their memories decline sharply.
How can researchers assess infants' memory by observing their visual attention?
Researchers can assess infants' memory by observing whether they look longer at one stimulus than another.